Packaging structure

ABSTRACT

A resilient member having three round projections on each outer side for use in a packaging container for receiving and carrying articles to be protected against shock as may be experienced in loading, transporting, and storing. In ordinary application, a cardboard tray is supported at each corner with a resilient member with the projections of such member being in registration with openings in each corner of the tray to position the resilient members, hold the tray sides together, and to form a resilient cushion at each corner for supporting an article transported in the container. In the usual circumstance, there are two trays per container, one at the bottom of the article and one at the top.

United States Patent [151 3,701,465 11 Oct. 31, 1972 Richter [54]PACKAGING STRUCTURE [72] Inventor: Robert H. Richter, Fort Wayne, Ind.

[73 Assignee: The Magnavox Company, Ft.

- Wayne, Ind. v

[22] Filed: Dec. 28, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 104,687

[52] US. Cl ..229/14 C, 206/46 FN [5 1] Int. Cl. ..B65d 25/14 [58] Fieldof Search ..229/14 C; 206/46 FN [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 7 3,356,209 12/1967 Pezely, Jr. ..229/l4 C X 3,399,797 9/1968Freeman ..229/ 14 C X 2,376,530 5/1945 'Dittman ..229/14 C PrimaryExaminer-Davis T. Moorhead Attorney-Richard T. Seeger ABSTRACT Aresilient member having three round projections on each outer side foruse in a packaging container for receiving and carrying articles to beprotected against shock as may be experienced in loading, transporting,and storing. In ordinary application, a cardboard tray is supported ateach corner with a resilient member with the projections of such memberbeing in registration with openings in each comer of the tray topositrays per container, one at the bottom of the article and one at thetop.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEMM m I 3.701.465-

snm 1 or 2 INVENTOR ROBERT H. RICHTER BY fk/{ou/ 7 5M ATTORNEY IPACKAGING STRUCTURE This invention relates to apackaging container ofimproved construction having corner cushioning members, which may bemade of expanded polystyrene, which cushioning members are held inrelation to one another and to the article being transported, byconnection to a packaging tray.

The tray has a base andfour leaves or flaps which are folded 90 relativeto the tray base and each flap has an opening at each end and there isan opening in the tray base at each corner of the base. Resilient comermembers have extending from each external side thereof a cylindricalprojection which'fits into the holes of the flaps and tray base to holdthe flaps in 90 relation to the base. The tray may then be placed in thebottom of a container,the article to be carried by the container may beplaced over the tray and onto the four cushioning and positioningmembers. A tray of similar construction having a resilient member ateach comer thereof, may then be placed over the article and thecontainer sealed.

With this construction, stresses and distortions exareformed tolocateand position the article to be carried by the container as laterexplained.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the tray 26 having flaps 27, 28, 29,and 30 hinged to a base 31. Each flap has a round opening at each endthereof and base 31 hasa round opening at each corner thereof.

By placing a resilient member 21 in each comer of base 31 with a plugprojection being inserted in the respective hole at the comers, and bybringing the flaps up so that the holes and the flap ends are insertedover the plug'projections of the insert 21, the construction of FIG. 3is obtained wherein it is seen that in each corner of the tray is aresilient member 21 and the pro- 1 5 jections are inserted through theholes in the tray flaps perienced by the container during shipping,loading, or

storing, can be accommodated with minimum injury to the article.

In the past, cushioning members as shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,209to Pezely, wherein the cushioning members are held rigidly to a panelmember, were easi- 1y broken away from the panel due to their rigidconnection thereto during the normal usage of the con tainer. Also,registration of a square projection into a square hole has provedawkward and time consuming.

Other efforts to solve this problem are shown in US. Pat. No. 3,399,797to Freeman, which uses relatively complicated individual plugs havingslotted means therein for use with overlapping sides of a cardboardblank having complicated openingsof both curved and straight sidesmaking the plugs and cardboard units more expensive and complicated foruse, requiring many more resilient members, and do not provide .thepositioning and locating features of this invention.

These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent when apreferred embodiment is explained in connection with the drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a resilient member showing the threeexterior sides, each having a protection therefrom;

FIG. 1a is a view in perspective from another direction of the member ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 1b is a view in perspective showing the interior locating surfacesof the embodiment of FIG. 1;

. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tray black used in the preferredembodiment of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tray black of FIG. 2 assembled andhaving in each corner thereof a resilient member of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a cutaway view in perspective of a container having a lowertray in position and an upper tray about to be positioned upon thearticle in the container.

Looking now at FIG. 1 is seen a resilient member 21 having externalsides 22, 23, and 24. The material of the member 21 may be expandedpolystyrene having a density of 1.35 pounds per cubic foot. Each side22, 23, 24 has a cylindrical projection 22a, 23a, and 24a extendingtherefrom respectively. FIG. lb shows the interior surfaces of theresilient member 21 which sides and extend therethrough for contact withthe container 34 as shown in FIG. 4.

In FIG. 4is shown container 34 having a tray inserted in the bottom witharticle 36 placed in the tray so that the article 36 is supported by thefour resilient members 21 at the corners of the tray.

After article 36 has been inserted in the container, then a second trayis placed on the top thereof with resilient members 2l.again supportingthe corners of the article. The container box may then be closed andsealed.

With this construction, it is seen that the container can undergosubstantially severe handling which would cause the tray sides to move,twist, and be generally distorted due to such handling, yet the cornerinserts will not be broken away from the tray, due to the fact thatthere is just one plug extending from each exterior side of the insertsand this plug has a cross section which permits it to rotate or moverelative the tray flap or base.

Also, due to the extension of the plugs 22a, 23a, 240 from the trayflaps, 27, 28, 29, 3ll,'there is a dual stage of rate of impactabsorption; in the first stage, the impact is absorbed by the plugs dueto their smaller cross section, and in the second stage the impact isabsorbed by the .body 21. In this way, minor impacts will be readilycushioned by plugs 22a, 23a, and 24a with virtually no affect on article36. Major impacts are absorbed in two stages, first by the plugs andthen by the body 21 again minimizing the affect on article 36 due to thegraduated absorbing capability of the device of this invention.

It is, of course, apparent that the resilient member 22a, 23a, 24a cantake different shapes and the cross section of the plugs can bedifferent providing that they permit rotative movement between the plugsand the flaps to which they are connected, and other modifications maybe made without departing from the scope of this invention which isclaimed as follows.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus comprising,

a packing container for receiving and carrying articles to be protectedagainst shock as may be experienced in loading, transporting, andstoring,

a plurality of resilient means, each having a plurality of sides, saidmeans being in said container for acting as an energy absorber betweenthe container and the article carried therein,

said last means each having a single projection from a plurality of saidsides, each projection having a predetermined cross section,

a connecting member for connecting said plurality of resilient means ina predetermined relation to one another,

said connecting member having openings therein to receive each of saidprojections and said openings conforming to predetermined cross sectionsof said projections,

said predetermined cross sections being proportional so that theprojections are held in said openings but are free to rotate in saidopenings, whereby said connecting member and said resilient means arecapable of substantial relative movement without shearing or permanentlydeforming said connecting member or resilient means or disconnectingsaid plurality of resilient means from said connecting member.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 with said openings and predetermined crosssections being round.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 with each of said resilient means havingthree exterior sides,

each of said exterior sides having one of said projections extendingtherefrom,

each of said resilient means having an interior sursaid connectingmember having one of said resilient means at each comer thereof,

' said connecting member having a base and four leaves, each leaf beingangularly related to said base,

each of said leaves having two openings therein and said base having anopening in each corner thereof,

two projections from each of said resilient members being inserted intothe openings in said leaves and the third projection being inserted inan opening in said base, to hold said leaves in said angular relation tosaid base, and to form a tray.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 with said packing container having a tray atone end thereof and a second tray spaced from said first tray,

said trays facing one another so that the interior surfaces of saidresilient means can receive, locate,

and position the article to be packaged and protected.

1. Apparatus comprising, a packing container for receiving and carrying articles to be protected against shock as may be experienced in loading, transporting, and storing, a plurality of resilient means, each having a plurality of sides, said means being in said container for acting as an energy absorber between the container and the article carried therein, said last means each having a single projection from a plurality of said sides, each projection having a predetermined cross section, a connecting member for connecting said plurality of resilient means in a predetermined relation to one another, said connectinG member having openings therein to receive each of said projections and said openings conforming to predetermined cross sections of said projections, said predetermined cross sections being proportional so that the projections are held in said openings but are free to rotate in said openings, whereby said connecting member and said resilient means are capable of substantial relative movement without shearing or permanently deforming said connecting member or resilient means or disconnecting said plurality of resilient means from said connecting member.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 with said openings and predetermined cross sections being round.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 with each of said resilient means having three exterior sides, each of said exterior sides having one of said projections extending therefrom, each of said resilient means having an interior surface adapted to receive, locate, and position the article to be packaged and protected.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 with said connecting member having one of said resilient means at each corner thereof, said connecting member having a base and four leaves, each leaf being angularly related to said base, each of said leaves having two openings therein and said base having an opening in each corner thereof, two projections from each of said resilient members being inserted into the openings in said leaves and the third projection being inserted in an opening in said base, to hold said leaves in said angular relation to said base, and to form a tray.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 with said packing container having a tray at one end thereof and a second tray spaced from said first tray, said trays facing one another so that the interior surfaces of said resilient means can receive, locate, and position the article to be packaged and protected. 